Daughter of the Pack
by Wintermoth
Summary: Novella to Children of the Moon. MUST READ THAT FIRST! What happened to Alba when she got lost? How did she find the pack? How did she learn to fit in among her people? This is her story. -indefinite hiatus-
1. Chapter 1

**PLEASE NOTE this is a companion to my story _Children of the Moon._ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ IT THEN DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. THIS WILL SPOIL EVERYTHING!**

**Hello! Hello! WELCOME TO 2011! THIS DAY WILL NEVER COME AGAIN!**

**Welcome to Alba's story. Now she will let you know what happened when she went missing. Simple as that. Please keep in mind this is Alba's POV and she is a little kid during the first few chapters. **

**Listed under "Leah" because Leah narrates most of the original story. ENJOY!  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own the world of Twilight or any Twilight characters, but EVERY LAST CHARACTER NOT DIRECTLY MENTIONED IN THE TWILIGHT SAGA BELONGS TO ME. THE LEGENDS/CUSTOMS/PLACES NOT MENTIONED IN TWILIGHT BELONG TO ME. Do NOT steal!  
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The wind howled as it whipped snow into our faces. The car door was stuck shut and, try as we might, we couldn't get the door open.

_Keep trying, Luna!_ Scuro reared up and put his front paws against the window.

_We are! We are! _Luna yelped. _I'm trying to figure out how to melt the snow without catching the car on fire! _

"It's stuck!" Sash grunted. I heard him slam his body against the door.

I shifted back to human form and gripped the handle and pulled as hard as I could. It was like the door had frozen shut. We kept trying, but none of the doors would budge.

Sometime later when I was trying to pull the front door open again, Scuro snarled. "This is pointless! We'll never get it open!"

"What do we do?" I shouted over the wind.

"Maybe we should find a place to wait this out!" Rame suggested. "Maybe we can get back into the trees or find a cave!"

"Good idea!" I let go of the door and shifted back into my wolf form, grateful for my warm fur to protect me from the bitter wind.

_Come on!_ Rame barked.

We moved through the deep snow, walking, hopping, jumping, and crawling. Rame stayed in front, using his cool abilities to keep the worst of the wind from hitting us. I had no idea how far we went, but I kept telling myself the trees couldn't be that much further.

_Guys, wait a minute_. Scuro stopped.

_What?_ I stopped but Rame kept walking.

_Don't go that way. Water says that—_

Suddenly, Rame yelped and his dark russet body dropped in front of me.

_Rame!_ I squealed in terror and jumped towards him, ready to grab him or something. But the ground wasn't there to catch me as I began to fall. My yowl was cut off when I hit the ground and the breath whooshed out of me.

I gasped and wheezed while I got to my feet. I winced and lifted my suddenly sore front paw off the ground. It was probably sprained.

_Are you alright?_ Rame pressed his fur against mine.

_Yeah. My paw hurts, though_. I held it out gingerly.

_ALBA? RAME?_ Scuro screamed from above us. I looked up, trying to locate his dark fur. There he was, probably thirty feet above us, staring over the ledge, his gray eyes wide and terrified.

_We're fine! _I shouted up. _Stay there! We'll find a way to get back there!_

_Okay,_ he didn't sound completely convinced.

Rame ducked his head and licked my paw gently. I sat down and let him get the blood flowing through it as my body healed itself quickly.

_What's wrong?_ Scuro called.

_I hurt my paw,_ I replied loudly. _It's fine now. _

_Please hurry! _

_Just burrow down in the snow until we get to you!_ Rame advised.

I stood up and put my paw on the ground, testing it. No pain. My tail wagged a bit.

The wind wasn't so bad down in the ditch, but the snow did not make things easy. Scuro kept talking to us, just to make sure we were there, and we responded, but then we couldn't hear him anymore.

_Rame—_

_We have to keep moving, sis._ He grunted and jumped out of the snow onto the top of a rock. _Come on, I think this'll work._

I stayed down there and watched him jump up the ledge from rock to rock. He had to shift back once to pull himself up. Then he disappeared as he pulled himself over the side.

_Come on, Alba!_

I sighed and leaned back, wiggling my haunches then I jumped up. My paws scrabbled on the snowy rocks as I struggled to get a grip. I dug my nails into the stone and heaved myself up. Rame had always been a better jumper than me, no wonder he'd made the trek up seem so easy. I braced myself for another jump and quickly scouted a path up. With three quick jumps I was up another ten feet within seconds.

_You'll have to change back to climb up that spot._ Rame told me. _There's no other way._

I growled softly and shifted my body back to my human form. My jumps were nowhere near as powerful with human legs and I couldn't get myself high enough to latch onto a ledge. I tried again and again to no avail, almost falling off before calling it quits.

I looked down at the only piece of clothing I had. Somehow, my blue and pink scarf had survived my transformations and now hung loosely around my neck. I think Rame's had, too.

"Rame!" I called up. "Rame! Get the wind to blow my scarf up to you and tie it onto yours like a rope!"

A second later his human head appeared over the side and he gave me a thumbs up. I pulled my scarf over my head and threw it upward as hard as I could. The wind caught it and for a second I worried that Rame wouldn't be able to get it to come to him. However, the next second my scarf was being quickly swished through the air and I saw Rame's hand catch it before they retreated over the side.

I huddled down on the rock and waited. I wasn't cold, exactly—I never got really cold—but there was a definite lack of warmth that my body disliked and the snow, bits of rock, and god-knows-what-else were being whipped against my skin.

"Here!" Rame shouted.

I looked up and saw the scarves hanging down the side. I launched myself up and fixed my hands around the wool. "Got it!" I yelped.

I silently thanked whoever decided these things for giving Rame a lot of strength. He pulled me up the side while I tried to help as much as I could by pushing myself up with wall with my feet.

He pulled me over the side of the ledge then I felt the scarf go slack and I sighed, pressing my face into the snow.

"Woo!" he shouted. I hopped to my feet and gave him a high-five.

"Nice job!" I congratulated him, then quickly untied our scarves. After a second I tied it back around my neck, loose enough so it wouldn't choke me as I phased.

_So, which way?_ He asked.

_The way we came from, duh,_ I rolled my eyes.

_Can't, there's another cliff._ He jerked his head in the direction we'd come from. _So unless you want to do the whole thing over again, we're going a different way._

I growled a word Mama said I should never say.

_Can't we just, you know, fly over?_

…_I didn't know we had wings._

_I mean, can't you ask the Wind to let us fly?_

_Don't you think I've tried that before? _He grumbled._ Wind doesn't want to let me do things like that unless there is an absolute need._

_Hmm. Our impending doom doesn't qualify?_

_This probably is not considered impending doom because we're werewolves. Let's just keep walking._

_Fine. Um…this way. _

We headed off in the direction away from the cliffs. I did not want to go down another gorge. Rame did his best to keep the worst of the wind off us.

_We're so lost._ He whispered at one point. _We need to just find a place to burrow like Scuro did._

_Alright,_ I raised my head and looked around for a good place. _Hey…hey there's a tree over there._

_Really?_ He raised his head, too, and followed my gaze. _Sweet! That'll do!_

He bounded ahead and I stumbled after him, sinking down into the snow more than once. When I finally got to the pine tree he was already digging down. _I found a small hollow between the roots._ He announced.

_Well get down there_. I barked.

He dove down, kicking up more snow and I peered down into the hole. I frowned just a bit. There was no way I'd fit in there. He noticed that too.

_Uh oh_, he flattened his ears.

_No, don't worry, it's fine. I'll find somewhere else. There's got to be another tree nearby. We're probably at the edge of the forest. Just stay warm._

_Alright_, he said.

I trudged away from the tree into the snow. I thought I could see some more trees not too far away. I kept going, my eyes fixed on the pines. Then without warning, the ground wasn't underfoot anymore. I howled in terror as I plummeted into the gorge. My howl cut off as I hit a ledge about halfway down and, once again, I was winded. I winced as I sat up. Defiantly cracked a few ribs this time.

_Alba!_ Rame shouted. _Alba? Are you alright?_

_Yeah,_ I called back. _I'm alright, just a little bruised. _

_I'm coming to get you!_ I could hear the determination in his voice.

_No!_ I said quickly. I didn't need him getting stuck down here, too. _Stay up there. Stay safe._ I looked around at the rocks around me. I could probably use them as a ladder._ I'll get up…_

I wiggled my haunches and threw myself upward. I landed just on the side and dug my claws into the stone. I grunted and heaved myself up. _Somehow_, I added almost to myself. _I—_

I gasped and I felt the rock crumbling under my paws. I fell, too shocked to scream. I hit the ground and everything went dark.

When I woke up sometime later I was almost completely buried in snow. Slightly confused at first, I moaned and sat up remembering why I was under a blanket of flakes. I couldn't have been out for long, but I knew I had to get out of the gorge.

I was a bit dizzy as I started to walk. I found a relatively smooth incline and without really thinking I started upwards. I must have still been a bit dazed because the trip up didn't seem to take long at all and it felt like I kept slipping in and out of unconscious. Dimly, I wondered if I was ever going to get found now.

I wondered aimlessly through the storm, stumbling and jumping to move along. At one point I felt the snow slipping out from under my feet and I jumped, phasing as I did and grabbed onto a tree trunk to steady myself. I felt my scarf get blown off and I ignored it, unable to muster the will to go after it.

At one point I threw my head back and howled, wishing desperately that someone would respond. I kept going for as long as I physically could.

My head was throbbing, my body ached, my stomach rumbled. It was too hard to stay awake, to keep moving, so I let go and sank into blessed darkness.

My eyes fluttered open.

The world around me was nearly dark, but I could see light filtering in from above. I was buried under the snow. Again.

_Water, let me move all this snow!_ I thought and thrust up with my paws. The snow was thrown off of me all-too-easily.

I sat up and crawled out of my little burrow and looked around. The blizzard was over but it had blanketed the world in a fresh covering of snow. The sun glimmered brightly, reflecting off the snow. The mountains around me all looked foreign. I looked behind me, then ahead. I saw nothing I recognized, not even the cliffs from the night before. I was quite sure the forest in the distance was not been the one we were camping in.

A whimper escaped my throat.

I was so lost.

I lifted my nose to the wind and inhaled, hoping to smell a nearby town or human settlement—I could call Mama from there. I tried a few times, turning in all directions trying to get something, anything that would be useful. The only things I could smell were the trees from the forest, a herd of caribou, a few normal wolves, a fox, some wildcats, shrews, and traces of precipitation in the air.

I whimpered again.

I was lost out in the wild. Alone; no Mama, no Uncles or Aunts, no brothers, no sisters…no pack…

And then abruptly, I wasn't scared anymore. I was a _werewolf_, a Child of the Moon, for goodness sakes! I did not need to be sitting around, whimpering like some scared pup. I jumped to my feet and shook the snow off my fur.

I headed for the forest; it seemed like the most natural thing to do. The further I went the easier it became to walk. I was so relieved after struggling to move through the nose-deep snow the night before. As I moved I wondered how the others were. Had Rame crawled out by now? Had he found Scuro? Was Sash alright? Was Luna keeping him warm? Had she tried to venture out to find us?

Mama and the others, were they looking for us yet?

I kept my ears alert, listening for the sounds of howling. If they weren't close enough to communicate through our minds then they'd howl.

The trees had spared the forest floor from a lot of snow so I was able to lope through with ease. My stomach started to rumble and I tried to ignore it. There wasn't any good hunting here, except for maybe a few shrews, but they had so little meat that they really weren't worth the effort.

_Besides, I'll be home or at least in a town by sundown._ I thought. _I'll just eat there._

It's not that I had an aversion to eating raw meat; I just preferred one of Edward's deliciously cooked roasts to a freshly killed rodent any day.

I felt like a wolf in a way I usually never did except on the full moon. There was something about running in the unfamiliar terrain with my senses on full alert for anything that was appealing. With each step I felt like I was leaving my humanness behind. I liked it.

The sound of running water made me slow down. I cautiously trekked the last mile to the river and froze, staring at the rushing water. All my worries and fears came crashing back in that instant.

I had never, not once in all my time in Alaska, seen a river like this. I whined in despair. I'd been going the _wrong way!_

But the water was appealing and it whispered soothingly. _Come on, I won't let you drown. You can cross safely._

_But I think…my home is the other way!_

_A river cannot flow backwards, dear child._ Water whispered. _Neither can you. You must keep moving forward. Going back will not help, it will only disrupt the cycle, like a fish trying to swim against the current. Keep going, precious one, you will find your path in front of you. All is not lost, little Alba, keep moving._

I swallowed and tentatively put my front paws into the water. I felt the strength of the current pushing gently at them. I splashed all the way in and almost instantly the current swept me off my feet, but I wasn't afraid. The very essence of water was protecting me from harm. The current went against it's nature and held me safely while my paws churned effortlessly at the water as I made my way across.

_Thank you._ I thought when I was on dry land. I shook the water off my fur and looked back at the land on the other side and sighed.

_No, child, do not look back. You must go with the current, you must go forward._

Several hours later I was seriously wishing I'd ignored water and turned around. I was hopelessly lost deep within an unfamiliar forest, starving, tired, and very, very scared. I stopped walking and looked around, breathing in the air.

My heart sank as I caught a whiff of my scent from earlier. I'd already been this way! I was going in circles.

Tears formed in my eyes and they spilled out over my cheeks, dripping onto the light snow below. I sat there, crying and whimpering for a few minutes, then I lifted my head and let out a mournful howl.

_Mama, Mama where are you? Why haven't you called for me yet?_

I howled again, longer and louder, more desperate this time. When I was done I slumped to the ground and continued to cry.

The sound of heavy paw-steps made me jerk upright quickly. I stood tensely, waiting, watching the general direction of the sound. Then he came into view.

A great wolf was racing towards me, ears flattened and yellow eyes narrowed. I gulped and shrank backwards, curling my tail between my legs. I gasped.

He was darker than Jacob, a shade lighter than Rame. I could see the firm muscles under his skin with every quick stride that pushed him closer and closer to me quicker than a vampire could run. He slowed down to a brisk trot as he neared me and his ears perked up in surprise. He towered over me, taller than any of my uncles, except maybe Jacob, but even then it would be a toss up.

I skittered back from him in alarm and another whimper escaped my throat.

_Focus, _I told myself.

The werewolf stared down at me, his face emotionless. _Lce yba oei?_ His deep voice appeared in my head. He sounded kind of like Balto, the half-wolf half-dog who saved the whole Alaskan town by getting medicine back to them. (He was my hero.) The thought made my tail twitch in excitement.

_Cel wuw oei rah caba?_ He took a step forward, I flattened my ears, and he sniffed me. _Hca nhafpc ez kytsuban pjufrn he oei. Oei seeb wayb, lyn oeib sypg yhhypgaw mo hca demons? _

I couldn't understand a single word of what he said, but something about his tone made me afraid. I pulled my lips back from my teeth and growled softly.

_Yfnlab ta!_ The werewolf snarled, baring his teeth.

I whimpered and skittered back, but then I stood straight on my paws, flattened my ears, fluffed up my fur, and snarled back. _Stay away!_

When the wolf spoke again, his voice was gentle. _Oei pyf feh ifwabnhyfw ta, pyf oei?_

I waited, tensely.

_You speak English, little one? _He had a strange accent, kind of like Harry Potter's, but kind of different, too.

My ears perked up. _Yes. _

_Oh, I am sorry. I…have met few wolves who cannot understand our tongue. You are a Child of the Moon, correct?_

_Yes. _I relaxed just a little bit. _I am. Are you?_

_Yes, young one, I am._

I swallowed. _You're from the pack in the North, aren't you?_

The wolf growled softly. _How did you know about us?_

_Mama knows. Mama told us. _

_Who is your Mama?_ He asked gently.

_Leah Clearwater. _I said proudly.

The wolf frowned. _That is a human name. Is she a Changeling?_

_Huh?_

_Was your Mama bitten and transformed into a werewolf?_

_Oh no._ I shook my head. _Mama's not a werewolf. Mama's a shape-shifter._

The wolf growled. _How can your mother be a shape-shifter when you are a werewolf? _

I shook my head again. _Mama is a shape-shifter. My mother is a werewolf. I'm an orphan. My mother died just after was born and my dad was killed not long before. My Uncle Seth found us and took us to Leah and she raised us. _

The wolf sat down and looked me up and down carefully. _How old are you?_

_A year and a half, _I said.

_Do you, by any chance, happen to know who your birthmother was? Did your Mama know her name?_

_Oh yes. Her name was Noami. _

_Praise Celbra,_ he jumped to his feet and barked, looking so much like Rame in that moment that it was scary. _Come with me little one, we will get you some food and clothes and you can meet my father. _

I bristled. _Mama says I'm not supposed to go anywhere with strangers._

_Smart woman, that one._ He said. _But you need not fear me. My name is Rayer, I am the son of the Alpha of our pack. …Noami was my little sister. _

I stared up at Rayer. _R-really? You're my mother's brother?_

_I swear it on Celbra. _Rayer vowed.

My tail started to wag without my permission.

_You are kin. You shall never be harmed as long as I am alive. I promise you. Tell me, what is your name?_

_Alba._ I said.

_Is it a werewolf name?_ he tilted his head.

_I don't know. It means dawn… _

_Only dawn? Then no, it is not. But it is pretty, _he assured me. _Have you walked far, little niece?_

I nodded. _I'm lost. I'm so lost. I want to go home. Can you get me home?_

_I am sure you can return home in good time. But first, please, let me take you to our home. My father—your grandfather—would love to see that Noami and Brinre did not die in vane. You can eat and rest, too._

_Alright, alright I'll go. But…can you please carry me? My paws hurt._

_Certainly. _He ducked his head and gently picked me up by the scruff the way Mama used to. I curled my paws and my tail instinctively and he took off at a brisk pace.

_Do you have any siblings? _He asked as we ran.

_Yes, two brothers and two sisters. _I didn't feel the need to mention my dead brother, Fango.

_What are their names?_

_Scuro, Neve, Luna, and Rame. Rame looks a lot like you. He and Neve have green eyes._

_Just like Noami did. _I heard the warmth in his voice. _Don't worry, we will be there soon._

I stifled a yawn. _Alright. Please, Uncle Rayer, can I eat when we get there? First thing?_

_Well, maybe not first thing, but you will get food soon. I promise. And you need only call me Rayer, little Alba._

_I'm not _that _little! Only Rame is bigger than me! Luna is way smaller than me!_

Nebbo,_ Alba, I meant no offence._

_Um…_

_Our word for sorry is _nebbo_. You might as well start learning to speak our Language now. Many in our village cannot speak anything other than that. _

_Oh no._ I whimpered.

_Worry not, you will learn quickly. It is in your blood._

_So…it's natural for me to know it?_

_You are very smart for one so young. Can you read and write?_

_Yes. I'm getting better at spelling, too. I can also do math. _

_Did your Mama teach you all this?_

_Some of it. _I admitted. _Mostly the Cullens are our teachers._

_Who are the…Cullens?_

_They're the family we live with. They're vampires. _I added brightly.

I felt myself slip as his jaw loosened in shock. _You live with Dark Children? _He growled.

_Yes. They're very nice, the Cullens are. But not all vampires are nice, they told us that. We had to kill some bad vampires a few weeks ago._ I boasted. _It was fun._

As the words tumbled out, I could tell Rayer was seriously troubled.

_I know how to hunt and fight, too._ I went on, determined to show him I was raised well.

_Hush now, Alba. We're here. Welcome to the home of your parents. _

He stopped atop a hill and I stared down at the werewolf village for the first time.

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**Well? Love/hate? Review! Fav! Add! :D**

**Just so you know, my Hunger Games story has more priority than this one at the moment. So you might not get an update for a few weeks. I want to finish that one and get the chapters to Clare before I send in the rest of these...  
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	2. Chapter 2

**At long, LONG last, it is finally here. Chapter 2 of Alba's story. And so begins the (hopefully) regular of my _Children_ saga. Right now I plan to finish my edits on COTM, work on this one at the same time as my Hunger Games story, then the Crescent story, the one-shot about Pap/Nana/Maisha, and Luna's story, then the "official" sequel to COTM: _Children of the Night_**

**School starts in thirteen days. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!**

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He set me down on my feet and I walked beside him as we traveled through the camp. I had no words to accurately describe the types of buildings, but they seemed to be made of wood and stone for the most part. Werewolves, most of them in human form, stopped in their tracks and stared unabashed in our direction when they saw me. I saw every hair color possible and pretty combinations. I saw eyes that were yellow and all shades of blue, green, brown, gray, and black, plus two with lavender eyes. The various skin colors came from all regions of the world.

I lifted my head and met their gazes evenly as I walked even though I felt like cowering under their shocked stares.

_Relax, little one, they can smell your fear just as I can._

_But…there's just so many of them! _I protested with a small whimper. _Will they attack me?_

_Of course not! _He sounded as if I'd said something scandalous. _You are one of the Moon's Children; you will never be harmed by one of your own…unless they are wayward and no longer acknowledge our Mother's Law as the supreme law over them. I assure you that every wolf here is loyal to Celbra and their Alpha. Attacking a direct descendant of the Alpha would be high treason punishable with death by silver. A most painful way to die, _he added grimly. _It is my dearest hope, little niece, that you never feel the sting of that heinous substance. _

_The what?_

_Never mind. Just relax. You are as safe as can be. I am surprised, though, that you find fear among your own people when you talk of living with vampires and find no fear in them. _

_The Cullens are different._ I felt the strong need to defend my extended family.

_Hmm. _He didn't believe me. _We are here. _

He stopped a few feet away from the largest building in the very center of the camp, almost completely surrounded by smaller buildings. Huts, I decided. They each had a door covered by a large curtain of…animal skin, I realized after a quick inspection.

_I take it you have control over switching forms at will?_ Rayer looked down at me.

_Yes. We call it phasing. _

_Phasing, _he tried the word out. _We have no word for that in the Language. The closest is _pcyfra_, which means change._

I shrugged. _Well yes, I can _pcyfra.

_Then please do so now._

_I…um…my clothes got ruined a while ago._ I flattened my ears. _Can we run to the store and get some more real quick?_

Rayer sighed. _Poor wolf child; raised to be a human. I suppose you ride around in those horseless carriages and eat with the silver-colored sticks, too? Silverware, they call it? Pah! _

My ears grew hot with embarrassment and I said nothing.

_Clothes are not such a worry here. But, for the time being, I think this will work._ He stretched his neck out and pulled a blanket of soft fur from a pole.

"Rayer," a woman with brown, black streaked hair and fair skin frowned disapprovingly at him.

Rayer dipped his head apologetically then dropped the blanket onto me. _Alright, now change back. _

I nodded and easily returned to my human form. I did a quick inspection; all the cuts and scrapes I'd gotten in the past twenty-four hours were pretty much gone. I pulled the soft blanket around me.

"Ah," the woman regarded me carefully. "Hello, young one."

My eyes widened in surprise. Except for the accent, she sounded a lot like the person who played Lady in_ Lady and the Tramp_.

"Are you a movie star?" I asked curiously.

The woman blinked rapidly and her mouth opened just a bit. "I—excuse me?"

"You talk like Lady in the movie _Lady and the Tramp_."

"Movie?" the woman said the word carefully, rolling the letters over her tongue, as if she'd never said it before.

I gaped openly. "You don't know what a movie is?"

"I have been living here for over a hundred years, child. I know little of the human word."

I stared.

"When I stopped living among humans, they had just developed things called photographs. They are like portraits that do not need an artist to paint them."

I blinked rapidly.

Rayer nudged me towards the big hut with his nose and I stumbled in that direction, still staring at the slightly apologetic woman.

I pushed the curtain out of my way and walked inside. The place was a large square divided into rooms by wooden walls and curtains of skin. There was a main room and several smaller ones off to the side that I couldn't see into. In the main room there was dark brown an animal skin rug covering a lot of the area and against the far wall was a chair covered in, you guessed it, animal skins and furs. Sitting in the chair was a man dressed in a neat shirt and pants made of skin; he also had a pendant around his neck. The charm at the end was a circle with the imprint of a tiny wolf paw in it and crescent moons surrounding it. He looked about thirty-five (though I figured he was a _lot_ older) with dark brown hair and curious blue eyes.

_My_ eyes.

Rayer's father, the Alpha…my grandfather. I gasped softly.

My grandfather started to speak so quickly that I didn't catch a word of it.

Rayer replied in quick words of their language. I glanced up at him. He was built kind of like Jacob except that his skin was tan and his hair was long and dark red, like Rame's. He spoke for a long time and I leaned against his side, suddenly very tired. He paused and looked down at me, then gently patted my arm and finished what he was saying.

"Alba."

I looked up at my grandfather. He was smiling gently at me and he motioned for me to come. I glanced at Rayer and he nodded.

"Come on, I am not going to hurt you. Come here, little one."

I walked forward, still keeping the blanket around me, and stopped a few feet from the chair. My grandfather leaned forward, his eyes searched my face, and then he gave me a careful sniff and winced.

"You carry the scent of vampires. No wonder everyone was nervous when they smelt you."

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

"Now, now, it is nothing to apologize for." He assured me. "My name is Arlin. Your mother was my daughter. …When she and Brinre never returned we feared that…but when Tilo told us about his dream…" he trailed off.

I perked up. I'd met Uncle Tilo in a dream a few months ago. It was good until he vanished and the mean wolf Harthor showed up. Uncle Tilo was nice and he talked funny. I wanted to see him.

He shook his head and smiled at me. "Welcome to the village of _Nadja_."

"What does _Nadja _mean?"

"It means nothing in the way you are thinking." He said. "Nadja is a name."

"Whose name?"

"The werewolf who started this village a long time ago."

Well he could've just said that. "Oh."

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes!" I said a bit more loudly than I meant to.

He laughed. "Alright. Mikty, _peta caba_."

A werewolf woman with beautiful blonde hair emerged from one of the side rooms. "Yes, Lord Arlin?"

"Mikty, I would like you to meet my granddaughter, Alba. Noami's pup."

Mikty's hands flew to her mouth. "_U we feh majuaka uh!_"

Arlin smiled. "Yes, I would not believe it either if I didn't see my own eyes in her face and her mother in her smile."

Mikty walked over to us, bending down so she could look me right in the eyes. "Oh my…" she whispered.

"Do you think you could find her some food and fitting clothes?" Arlin asked.

Mikty nodded, still gaping at me.

"And Mikty, do not tell anyone who she is. Not yet." I heard the nearly invisible ring of authority in his voice and I knew she would be unable to disobey.

Mikty left and I asked who she was.

"Her family line is the closest to ours. When this village was founded, Nadja became Alpha and she made her brother the second in command. The English term is Beta." He explained. "She is of the Beta family just you are of the Alpha family."

"Oh," I figured I could find out more about that later.

Mikty returned very quickly with clothing. "I apologize; these were the smallest I could find." Mikty handed me a shirt that dangled probably four inches past my knees. I didn't even need the pants. "We are not used to having little wolves. We only just got seven little ones and they are nowhere near as big as you yet."

I gasped. "Seven pups?"

"Yes." Mikty's voice was warm. "Two whole litters and only one pup lost. Poor little fellow, Wista's heart broke for her son, but she did not let her other younglings die out there."

"Oh can I see them?" I begged. "Pretty, pretty please?"

"I thought you were tired and hungry." Arlin smiled teasingly.

I pouted. "I am, but…"

"You can see them tomorrow. Ah, thank you Maisha."

The scent of cooked meat tickled my nose and I spun around, practically drooling. A young woman in a pretty skin dress was bowing slightly to Arlin, while holding a plate of meat. She had very long, bright red hair, and when she straightened up I saw she had a pair of those weird purple eyes I'd noticed earlier. I was a little jealous.

"Of course, Lord Arlin, I—" she stopped talking when she spotted me. "Oh."

"Is that for me?" I looked at Arlin.

He nodded.

"Oh thank you!" I scurried over to Maisha and reached up for the plate.

She continued to stare at me, not surrendering the plate. I growled softly.

"Noami?" she whispered and looked up at Arlin.

He nodded. "One of her daughters."

The plate slipped between Maisha's sure fingers and I caught it then scurried back over to Arlin's chair and sat down. The caribou meat looked as delicious as it smelt. I paused, looking around automatically for a fork. I was conscious of everyone watching me and I remembered Rayer's earlier taunting about my upbringing and silverware. Not wanting to seem snobbish or anything, I picked up one of the meat slabs and sank my teeth right in. I glanced up at Rayer and he winked once.

When I'd devoured all the meat on the plate I yawned sleepily. Warm, safe, clothed, and fed, I was ready for a good long nap. I pushed the plate to the side and curled up in a little ball near my grandfather's foot and closed my eyes.

"Poor little thing," Maisha cooed gently. "You must be exhausted."

I nodded without opening my eyes.

"Perhaps she should rest before we hear her tale." Rayer suggested in a tone that reminded me of the way Edward spoke regarding Renesmee.

No one responded audibly. I heard gentle footsteps then strong hands picked me up. "She can sleep in my den for the moment." Rayer offered.

"Mmm." Arlin grunted his approval.

I felt Rayer turn and walk towards the door, but Arlin's voice stopped him.

"Son, no matter what she may look like, she is not Whitnie or Noami."

I felt Rayer stiffen. "I know," he said quietly then carried me out of the den. I was too tired to really wonder who Whitnie was and I was asleep before we even reached his den.

I slept clear through the night and well into the morning. My dreams were filled with soothing whispers, promises of safety and love, and reassurance from wolves that I could just barely see in a gentle mist surrounding me.

When I opened my eyes I felt the most overwhelming panic I'd ever felt in my whole life. I didn't recognize anything; I didn't know where I was… I jumped out of the bed and flew out of the room, phasing as I burst through the curtain-door. Blinded by panic, I crashed into a passerby. I jumped away from the brunette woman quickly and crouched down, pulling my lips back in a snarl.

"_Lyhpc lcaba oei yba reufr!_" she shrieked at me and her eyes flashed yellow. I gasped.

"_Lcyh un reufr ef?_" A familiar voice demanded. I turned my head and saw Rayer running towards me and I relaxed.

_Oh, right. I'm in the werewolf village…right…_ I shifted back to human form and sat down. "I'm sorry…I didn't know where I was and—"

"It is alright, Alba." My uncle assured me.

"This is the pup of Noami and Brinre?" The woman's eyes had changed to a light green color and I tilted my head to the side.

"Yes. My niece." Was that pride in Rayer's voice?

"What's up with your eyes?" I pointed. "They were yellow a second ago!"

"I will explain later," Rayer assured me. "Come on, we will get you a new dress and some lunch."

He led me by the hand back into his den and while he rummaged around for something that would fit me, I looked around the place properly.

It was made of wood, like a very small cabin. There was a large cot in one corner, the blanket resting neatly on top. Next to it was the small makeshift bed I assumed I'd been sleeping in because of the way the blankets had been tossed aside. A few crates were placed around the room and he was rummaging through each of them. The walls were covered with a few bones, a single dagger, and a dream catcher, as well as a vase with a single white flower sticking out of it, a beaded necklace, a human's boot, and a single silver bullet hanging from a string. I growled softly.

"What is it?" Rayer turned around.

"You have a silver bullet." I pointed at the little shell.

"Oh." His face hardened. "Yes. I do."

"Why?"

"It is none of your concern." He said sharply.

"Sorry," I mumbled, feeling my cheeks grow hot.

He returned to his searching and I sat down to wait. A few minutes later he made a quiet cry of success and stood up. He walked over to me and knelt down then held the dress out for me to see. It was made of a soft-looking red furred animal skin. My guess was some sort of fox. The dress probably would go to my knees. It had short sleeves with pretty beads dangling from the hems, and there was a string belt sewn around the midsection with beads hanging from it.

"It's really pretty," I said.

"This was Elolise's. Her mother made it for her before the Dark Hunters began to wipe us out. She lived in a village in Austria then. We met when she came here."

"Who's Elolise?"

Rayer lowered his head just a bit. "She was my mate."

I gently took the dress and slipped it over my head, pushed my arms through the sleeves, then adjusted the skin so it was smooth. I ran my hands along the fur and smiled. "I really like it. I promise I won't ruin it."

Rayer smiled. "Come on, Alba. Let us go get you some food and then you need to talk to Arlin. He wants to hear your story."

"My story?"

"He wants to know what your life has been like." He explained as we walked out of the den. He held my hand gently in his like Edward sometimes held Renesmee's when they walked around. "We are all very curious about how you have lived."

"Oh, well it's nothing special." I warned him.

"Perhaps, but it will be different. I do not think there has ever been a Moon Child who was nurtured by Dark Children."

"Dark Children are vampires?" I checked.

"Children of the Darkness, just as we are Children of the Moon."

I shivered. That made them seem like nighttime demons. Of courseI was sure some, if not most, of the vampires were nighttime demons, but I just couldn't force the term and the Cullens to coexist in my mind together. They just weren't like that. At least, not that I had ever seen.

We went back to the big den. Arlin was waiting there in his chair and a woman was sitting next to him, her arm around his neck as she murmured in their language. She had long, wavy hair the color of fresh honey and her eyes were a pretty gray, just like Luna and Scuro's.

"She must have pretty wolf fur." I said to Rayer.

The woman stopped talking and looked at me. Then she smiled. "My pelt is gray like dry rocks, not the beautiful color you see here." She touched her golden hair.

"I thought our hair matched our pelts." I pointed to my sandy hair, the exact shade of my wolf fur.

"As pups they usually do." the woman said. "However, sometimes they are completely different, just as some werewolves are born with lavender eyes. It is a sign of another species in my ancestry."

"Oh," I frowned. I had a lot to learn. "Who are you,?"

"Carletta. Noami was my daughter."

"Grandma," I said.

"Come here, sit." Arlin beckoned to an old pillow in front of his chair. Rayer let go of my hand and I scurried over to sit down. Rayer sat beside Arlin's chair.

"Now, Alba, will you please tell me about your life? I want to know where you were born, where you were raised, who raised you, your adopted family, your siblings, and how you ended up in our territory."

"Al—alright," I swallowed. "My first memory is a weightless, kind of bouncy feeling. I think it was when Seth carried me through the woods to the Cullen's house in Forks. That's down in Washington. …In America." I added when I saw confusion on Arlin's face. "Then after that I remember being in the bedroom with Mama and my brothers and sisters. There were pretty paintings, lava lamps, a futon, and all sorts of toys. Mama never could feed us herself so we had to drink out of bottles and she couldn't hear a word we said. They kept us inside the house, in that room mostly. Then one day we got to go outside for the first time and out there she could suddenly hear us!"

I went on like that, telling him about how we grew, meeting our extended families. I described each Cullen as accurately as possible, they were especially curious about Renesmee. I described Leah, Jacob, Seth, Embry, Quil. I described Rame, Scuro, Neve, and Luna, then I revealed Fango's "existence" and told them what I could about him. I told them about how we found out that Mama wasn't really our mother. I hesitated, unsure how they would react, but then I told them that I hadn't wanted much to do with Noami at all. They didn't seem offended. I told them about our first phasings, moving to Alaska, visiting Noami and Fango's graves, our first full moon, all about Sash and how Mama loved him a lot, what happened on the full moon he found out about us, I skipped over the whole fact we became Elementals and went on to talk about Sue's birthday, Neve getting to go back with Emily, and Sash taking us on the camping trip.

"Then Leah called and warned him this big blizzard was coming. He told us we had to go home. We complained but we eventually left but we got caught in the blizzard. We were trying to dig out the car and we got stuck outside so we walked off to find a place to shelter or find help and then Rame and I got separated from Scuro then I got separated from Rame and I just kept going until I started howling. You know the rest."

Arlin took a deep breath and let it out. "This Cullen coven seems better than others we have encountered. Perhaps there is hope for the race, then." He cleared his throat. "Well, Alba, thank you. Rayer, perhaps you would like to show her around the village? Teach her the way things work, introduce her to the pups…"

Rayer smiled. "Of course."

I instantly grew excited. I would get to explore!

"And of course, we need to introduce her to the pack."

I was practically bouncing with excitement. "Oh can you now?"

"Sure." Arlin stood up. "Carletta, would you do the honors?"

Carletta nodded and hurried out of the den. I stood up eagerly and started to follow her until Rayer's hand held me back.

"Wait a moment, she is summoning the pack."

I heard Carletta's voice ringing throughout the clearing in words I couldn't understand. I heard the sound of voices grow louder and footsteps as the pack gathered in front of the den. I bounced once. Rayer patted me on the shoulder.

"Here we go," Arlin said to me and then walked out of the den. I looked up at Rayer and he gave me a gentle nudge forward. I pushed the curtain out of my way and stepped out to face the pack. The murmuring started up again and I swallowed.

"_Hcun un hca wyirchab ez to wyirchab, Noami, yfw cab tyha Brinre._" Arlin announced.

The murmuring grew into talking and shouting. Some people cried out in shock or joy and all stared at me in wonder.

"What did he say?" I asked Rayer.

"He proclaimed you to be his granddaughter." Rayer said. "The daughter of Noami and Brinre."

"What are they saying about me?" I whispered as people called out words I didn't understand and Arlin answered back,

Rayer gestured to them. "They are asking how it is possible, what happened to your parents, if you will be staying with us."

"Oh no, I'm going home soon." I said simply.

"Rayer_ nsaygn he cab uf _English_ mapyina nca pyf feh ifwabnhyfw hca Jyfriyra."_

"He is telling them why I am translating for you."

"What is your name?" a woman called from the crowd.

"Alba!" I shouted back.

They continued to shout questions and Arlin answered them. Gradually, the people started to drift away to their tasks and I began to get bored. I wondered if I could sneak away to explore, but then I knew it would be a waste of time. Rayer was hovering protectively over me like Mama did when we were in public.

"Can we _please_ go see the pups now?" I begged, tugging on his arm.

"Not just yet." He said. "You better wait for that vampire scent to fade. Our mothers are more dangerous than a silver bullet in the heart. Would you like to see the village instead?"

I nodded. "Please!"

I got the grand tour of _Nadja_. It was about the size of a very small town. All the stalls and dens were very close together, for safety not comfort, Rayer had said, but I could tell they'd done as much as possible to improve comforts over the years. As we walked, my uncle explained how things worked. The idea of an economy running purely on trade and mutual benefits for all was truly astounding. From what I knew of the human world, it was dog eat dog.

"We do not need money," he said. "We trade with no one but ourselves. We make everything we can and steal what we can't."

"Stealing is wrong," I said automatically.

"Alba…" he sighed. "You will have to learn to break your human mindset. Yes, I know stealing is not honorable, but what we steal we _absolutely _need. If you were lost in the middle of a large city and you starving, would you waste time scavenging for money to acquire food or would you use your skills to steal it from someone who can easily get more food on their own?"

"I…I guess I would steal it." I mumbled.

"What we steal are things we cannot make on our own or it would be easier to just take them. Like thread to sew our clothes or food we cannot get out here. Speaking of which, have you ever had this little sweet thing—the label said S-N-I-C-K-E-R-S?"

"A Snickers bar?" I raised my eyebrows. "Oh yes, I've had them. Did you like it?"

"Yes, quite well, actually. I stole a few boxes full and brought them here for people to try."

I was starting to see the logic.

"So, if anyone really needs something, they can just get it?" I asked as we stood in front of a stall where a beautiful woman had primitively made jewelry on display.

"Food and clothes, yes, but usually everyone has at least one thing to trade." He said. "You, however, can take whatever you like."

"Me? Why?" I looked up in surprise.

The beautiful woman smiled at me. "You are child of Noami. She was child of Alpha. You are Alpha."

"I'm Alpha?" I squeaked.

"You are _an_ Alpha, not _the_ Alpha."

"I'm confused."

"Hmm." He frowned. "Oh. You know how humans have a first name and a last name? Well, Alpha is your last name—Alba Alpha. My sister was Noami Alpha."

"I get it!"

"That is why you are able to have anything you want from the shops. You are an Alpha."

"Like a princess!" I said in delight.

"The daughter of a king?" he checked. "Yes…I guess so."

"Awesome!" I giggled then looked down at the jewelry. There was one with pretty beads and a wooden moon carving dangling from the end. "Can I have it?"

"Of course." The woman leaned forward and lifted it carefully. "Turn around. I put it on you."

I lifted my hair and she looped the necklace around my neck and tied it. I let my hair drop and touched the moon charm. "Thank you. I really like it!"

The woman smiled. "I glad."

* * *

**Isn't Alba so cute? **

**Password: Family**

**REVIEW! PLEASE! I've missed you guys!**

**(Twilightboy, plz try not to spaz XD)**


	3. Chapter 3

**What is this? Could it be...an update for Daughter of the Pack? ...IT IS. O.O And guess what. I have two more chapters already written out :D Plus a bunch of other things have been started (I write as I'm inspired, peeps) and I vow to get a lot of them out before college.**

**And speaking of college, this is my last year of high school. I'm graduating a year early and if all goes well I will be attending Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and be rooming with Wendy. And she's the one who introduced me to Twilight and Fanfiction so you lot should thank her! I won't stop writing once I hit college I promise but things just might get slower, depending on what goes down.**

**Alright, enough prattling from me. ENJOY.**

* * *

"T- yuh-oh…oo…s-yuh-kah…huh-s-yah-huh."

"Close, close," Seriya said patiently. "It is pronounced ha-s-yuh-ah _Tyo U cyka hcyh._"

I nodded and let the syllables flow over my tongue. Learning the wolf language was very easy compared to my attempts to learn French from Carlisle. While French was a foreign language, as strange as the surface of the sun, this language was a part of me. It was just as much a part of me as the werewolf blood in my veins. I just had to hear a word and it was like I'd been using it my whole life.

"_Tyo U cyka hcyh?_" I asked confidently. Can I have that?

Seriya smiled and tilted her head to one side. "_Lcyh?_" L-s-yuh. What?

"_Hca bepg luhc hca baw _spots," I said. The rock with the red spots. But I didn't know the word for spots yet.

Seriya frowned, as if trying to figure out what I meant by 'spots' then realized that was English. "Oh. Spot is _nseh_."

"_Nseh_," I said the word carefully then stored it with my ever expanding vocabulary. "_Hca bepg luhc hca baw nseh?_"

Seriya smiled. "_Oan_." Yes. And she picked up the rock a few feet from her and tossed it to me. I caught it, running my fingers across its smooth texture.

One week. I'd been with the pack for one week and it already felt like home. No, not home. It couldn't be home without Mama and Jake and Seth and Scuro and Neve and Rame and Luna. But here in my mother's pack, well, it was at least a place I could live. Which is a good thing, because I'm not sure if they have any plans to let me leave any time soon. I'm not a prisoner, not exactly, but every time I set foot out of the village boundary, there always seems to be _someone_ there to keep me from wandering off.

"It's dangerous, little Alpha," they would say, "for you to wander too far."

"I want to go to the pond," I'd tell them. I wanted to practice my…power. But I hadn't told anyone about it yet. It felt like a secret I should keep. I don't know why. But something told me to keep my mouth shut about it.

So I'd get to go to the lake, but I couldn't practice at all because those guarding me would never let me out of their sight for an instant. I felt like a little pup again. At first I was scared, I couldn't even go near the water. I'm a wolf, I'm not afraid of getting too cold, even this far North, but the moment Water sensed me, it called out in welcome, even started to flow towards me.

_No! Stop! _I commanded and the water stilled. _They don't know what I…what I can do. Just…act like normal water. Please. _I added.

_As you wish, child_, replied the Spirit after a moment. But it didn't act completely normal though, because I'm quite sure normal water doesn't playfully lap at your heels or create a gentle current to push you through the water, but not drag you down.

Seriya glanced at the sky. I did too, automatically. This far up into Alaska, days and nights can last for weeks. Since it was May, we were living in a never-ending day. The sun never really goes away. They call it a Midnight Sun. Well, that's all nice because they say it can get really cold at night—not that it bothers us much—but, since we're werewolves, it's really horrible for us. We have no way to get our monthly moonlight up here in the remote wilderness.

Up until that moment, I hadn't really thought about what we'd do come the full moon. In fact… I realized I had no idea when the moon was. Usually I felt a buzz of excitement on the day of the first full night, but I'd felt nothing of the sort since arriving.

"I think that is enough for today," Seriya said. "Time for you to return to Rayer, he will tell you about tonight. It is the full moon."

"Really?" I perked up. "Oh awesome! But where are we going to go? I mean…it's not night here."

"We go south, of course." Seriya said.

"South?" I asked suddenly. "How far south?"

"Not as far as you're hoping," Seriya said lightly then shooed me from her porch.

I walked away, mumbling words that Mama said I never should say, that she says all the time. I was sure if Mama could talk to my grandpa, or Jacob or _someone_, they'd get Arlin to let me go back. It wasn't that I didn't like _Nadja_, but I missed my family. I had family in the pack, but I barely knew them. The absolute best thing about this place was all the adorable little pups, who adored me.

They knew my name, they knew who I was, and they knew I came from…elsewhere. I was the only one who'd been elsewhere in decades and the only one who'd been raised there in the last hundred years. They loved playing with me and hearing stories about my life. So did their mothers, actually. A lot of people did.

Rayer was waiting in the den we shared. Arlin told him to watch out for me and Rayer started acting like…like how Edward acts towards Renesmee, I guess. Like a dad, maybe? I don't know. I never had a dad. I only had Jacob and Seth, but they're my uncles. Well, whatever Rayer's acting like, I kinda like it. I mean, his eyes light up every time he sees me and he's real nice and he's teaching me how to be a proper Alpha: politics, how to mingle with the pack, what he calls the 'hierarchy' of the pack , and a bunch of other stuff that Seriya can't teach me.

He smiled when I pushed the curtain out of the way and walked in. "Hello, Al." he said. Yeah, I got a nickname now, for like the first time ever. Al. Not exactly an original, I think, but there's nothing better you can do with my name. Except 'Ba' maybe, but that's like a sheep. Ba. Ba. Baaaa… Hee…

"Hiya," I chirped. "Full moon? Let's go! Let's go!"

Rayer laughed. "Not _just_ yet. We are waiting for the hunt meat to be butchered and stored then my father will call the pack together. And then we will go."

I bounced up and down impatiently. "I want to go _now_."

Rayer chuckled. "Patience, _sbapuein efa_."

I pouted and flopped onto the ground. Rayer chuckled and went back to…whatever it was he'd been doing when I walked in. I hadn't really been paying attention. I didn't really care.

"So. What'll happen?" I asked after a moment. "Will we all run together or separately?"

"Well," Rayer said. "There are over two hundred of us here. A pack of eight can hide easy enough, even in the more populated areas. But two hundred? No, no. That is impossible. We shall run together until we reach the land where it is dark, but then we will split and spread out."

"How did we never run into you guys before now?" I asked.

"I do not know. We do not venture south during the winter. Perhaps that has something to do with it?"

"Maybe," I said. "So…maybe…since we're going to be down there now…we maybe might run into them?"

Rayer was silent for a long moment. I heard his heart beat speed up just a bit and then it slowed to normal. "Perhaps."

I grinned. "Oh excellent! Maybe you and me, maybe we could go looking for them. And then you could meet Mama and Uncle Jake, and Uncle Seth and—"

"The shape-changers are not your kin," Rayer said.

It wasn't the first time he'd said that so I just ignored him. "—and Rame and Neve and Scuro and Luna, too! Oh and Renesmee and Edward and Bella and Carlisle and Esme and Alice and—"

"I have no desire to meet any Dark Children." Rayer's voice suddenly became icy. "Not even tame ones."

I jumped to my feet, spinning around angrily. "The Cullens are the nicest people ever, you hear? They done a lot of good stuff. I'd have been dead ages ago if it weren't for them. I don't give two hoots about those darn old grudges or whatever it is." I stamped my foot. "They never did nuthin' to you and they're half of my family! Don't disrespect my family!"

Rayer seemed surprised at my outburst. I stood there, glaring angrily at them, feeling an alien urge to kick his tail.

After what felt like forever, Rayer smiled. "Well, at least they taught you to defend your pack. That is something."

I figured that was all I'd get out of him. I did feel sorry for him, though. He was raised to see only one side of the story. I got to hear both. Couldn't blame him, really.

So I allowed myself to smile. "I still want to try to find them. Maybe my brothers and sisters could come and stay for a bit, and you maybe could come stay with us and—"

"Hey, now, slow down there," he said, standing up. "Your mind is thinking faster than your paws are moving. We have to find them first."

"So we'll look?" I asked excitedly.

Rayer frowned a bit, thinking about it. Finally he said, "I will have to get permission from my father for us to go further south than normal. Your home is many, many leagues from here. I shall go ask now. Try…not to break anything," he added warily.

I grinned sheepishly. In the three weeks I'd been living here, I'd managed to break a chest, a bowl, two vases, and several pieces of jewelry. I'm, er, naturally curious. "Kay."

_Nadja _is _so_ different than anywhere else I've lived. The buildings, the residents, the food, the clothes, the customs, the language, and the entertainment! Sweet moon, before I was here I was almost never bored. I always had a brother or sister to hang out with or a vampire to follow around. Or something on the television to watch,. The computer. Books. Toys. Music.

There is no electricity in _Nadja_, so that right there knocks out the possibility of computers, movies, television, and iPods. There really weren't any toys since there hadn't been any children in over half a century. No children, no need for toys. What they had were little things to help the younger puppies practice vital skills. Obviously there are no vampires for me to follow around. There's music but it's not music I'm used to it. Drums and flutes and shakers and something that reminds me of a guitar but can't be because the shape is all wrong and stuff. As for books, well, there are scrolls and pieces of old paper (Seriya calls it parchment) but most of its written in different languages. French, Spanish, the wolf Language, some in English, and some with symbols I can't make heads or tails of that Seriya swears are letters and that someone in _Nadja_ can translate them.

And they're all history, legends and the like. I prefer to listen to those, anyway, and not try to read someone's writing. Plus, I want a good fiction story. Not an old history story. That way I don't have to feel too awful if something bad happens because I know it didn't really happen.

And the thrill of exploration was dying down considerably.

So, it was safe to say, I was bored here.

I flopped down on my bed and groaned into the polar bear fur blanket..

_But when you find Mama and everyone tonight, you won't have to be bored anymore_. I thought happily. I decided I was going to look for them even if Arlin said no. Besides, he wasn't _my _Alpha. Not in the way he had to be to really_ order_ me. That was still Jacob. And I had no plans to change that any time soon. For one, they were my family and I didn't want to be separated from them. I could…sort of…sense them. Way, way in a distant corner of my mind, like bubbles that popped when I tried to grab them. I wondered if they could sense me.

Jacob didn't exercise his Alpha-ness over us too often and, well, Arlin did. He was Alpha and he made damn sure everyone knew it. He wasn't some sort of tyrant about it, though. My human side, the side that had been born and raised with Leah felt indignant and slightly embarrassed about how my grandfather made people bare their necks in submission when he was not obeyed or when someone was unruly. However, my wolf half had zero problem with it. The Alpha was simply controlling his pack. Carletta, the Alpha female, was the same.

Rayer had some portion of the control his parents did, he'd explained that to me. Since he is an Alpha he does have Alpha powers and rights, just not as many as his parents. He couldn't. There can only be _one _Alpha male in the pack and one Alpha female. If the two males had the same amount of power it would create tension and an inevitable conflict.

And me? Well, at the moment, I had none. Nothing but the residual traces in my blood from my mother which could slightly compel people to obey me, but not force them – I'd already tested it. They could refuse. Rayer theorized, since my mother was dead and my brothers and sisters were not in the pack, I would inherit Noami's portion of the power when I officially entered the pack, something he'd suggested I do multiple times.

I rolled over on my bed, staring up at the lines in the wooden ceiling.

If my brothers and sisters joined the pack, would we all split that power or would we all have equal amounts? Would those amounts be less than Rayer's or more? I knew I wouldn't ever be able to find out. Switching packs isn't done just on a whim.

After about ten minutes, Rayer still wasn't back so I sat up and decided to go find something, anything, to entertain myself. Judging from the light, I guessed it was about sunset—or as close to sunset as it would get. I wondered what the people would be doing to prepare for the full moon. Did they have some awesome rituals and ceremonies for the full moon? There'd been a cool ceremony last week for a wolf's hundredth birthday that I had been required to attend since I'm an Alpha.

I can hear music playing a few streets over. Someone's always playing music. It's like the village has a soundtrack. I like it. Rayer says it's to keep morale up. Music reminds the people that there's still hope, that even though they're hiding up in the bitter north, in a village that's more out of date than cassette tapes in order to stay alive, there's still a reason _to _live. That the old ways didn't die with their old packs.

Because I am not the only wolf here who was not born in _Nadja_. I am not the only one who hails from a different pack. I am, however, the only one still _in_ my old pack.

And with the music there is often dancing. In the few short weeks I'd been there, I'd seen dances from clear across the world. Except there hadn't been any modern dancing. I'm really tempted to show them how to do stuff from beyond the 1930s. At least the Chicken Dance. Maybe something from MTV. I swear, as long as I'm here, they will be educated in modern dance. And, maybe while I'm at it, I'll teach them some modern music. Up to and including every last song from the Disney movies I know.

I find the source of the music easily. Four werewolves—three males and one female—are playing music. One of them has a drum-thing, another's got a flute, and the other one has one of those stringed instruments that looks like a guitar but isn't. The woman, it seems, has bells or something like that tied to her ankles and wrists and as she dances they make jingly sounds. I find myself swaying to the music as I watch her twist and weave like a snake, her pretty black hair swishing this way and that.

Seriya warned me about some of the music here. Werewolves have a knack for making hypnotic dance music. It's one of our well-hidden talents. But it only works on werewolves or people with werewolf ancestry. Focus on the music too long and you'll get sucked right into the dance, knowing exactly what to do, where to step, and you'll _feel_ the mood of the music.

"One time, about ninety years ago," she told me. "There was a great panic beyond anything you can imagine. Arlin could not calm everyone on his own. So he had the Shamans walk throughout the village playing a lullaby for three hours in a row until everyone was calm and swaying to the music. Then he told the Shamans to cease and he was able to speak to the people again."

It's _that_ powerful.

I gave my head a shake and my body stopped moving and I tried to listen without being pulled into it.

The woman stopped in a pose for a moment, her right leg pointed out in front of her, her left arm against her side with her hand flexed, her right arm curved gracefully over her head, back arched, and her head turned in just the right direction to notice…me standing in the shadow of a stall.

A smile crossed her face and she twisted out of the pose, finishing the dance with a flourish. The men stopped playing when they noticed her distraction and the onlookers seemed dazed from the abrupt stop of the music.

The dancer walked towards me, the little bells on her wrists and ankles tinkling with each step. Then she executed a flowing bow in front of me. At least, I _think_ it was a bow. She twirled on one foot, dropping into a crouch with one leg lower than the other, but with neither knee touching the ground, with both her arms gracefully extended to the sides. Then she straightened up.

She said something in a language I did not know. I swallowed nervously. "I…I don't…"

So she switched. "_We oei nsayg hcun?_" Do you speak this?

"Yes," I replied in the same language. "A little. I do not know all the words, but I am learning."

"Did you enjoy our dance?"

"Yes, you are a pretty dancer."

"I thank you, little Alpha. Would you like to try?"

"Me?" I squeaked in English. "Oh no, I can't do that I—I mean…um…"

The woman seemed to understand what I was saying. "Are you afraid you cannot do it?" She asked in werewolf.

"Um…maybe?" I replied in the same. I could dance. The Cullens had taught me some old ballroom dances and I hadn't really been nervous then. Because, well, it was Jasper and Esme and Bella and I knew them and I didn't know this woman or the musicians or the people watching me and…and…

"Alright," I said.

The woman smiled then called something over her shoulder to her musicians. The tallest one replied and started to tap on the drum. She gently grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the music.

She showed me how to move my hips and how to keep my toes pointed when I stepped. "Move like you are made of water. Let your body flow." She said. I knew water better than anyone. It was easy to move the way the dance required and easy to lose myself in the music.

And suddenly…I wished more than anything that Mama was here, watching me. That the dancing woman was teaching Neve and Luna to dance like me. I wanted her to. I wanted my family with me.

And that was enough to jerk me out of the music. I lost my balance in the middle of a quick spin and I stumbled, barely catching myself in time. It took the woman a moment to notice and when she did, she stopped and so did the music. That was when I realized I'd been out for a while. The sky was about as dark as it would get.

"Oh no!" I said.

"_Lcyh un lbefr?_" The woman asked.

"I am going to be in trouble," I said in werewolf. "I was not supposed to leave the den. Rayer will be angry."

The woman tilted her head then knelt down in front of me, gently taking my hand. "Do not worry. I will escort you."

I looked up. "_Hcyfg oei!_" Then in English, "thank you!"

The woman dismissed her musicians in their language then walked with me back towards the den, holding my hand.

Rayer was angry at me for wandering off again, but he was pleased to see the woman holding my hand. He called her Nawrah. I listened as they spoke in werewolf.

"Your sister's daughter was watching me dance. I was curious. She has the dancing gift herself. As her mother did."

"She does?" Rayer asked softly.

Nawrah smiled. "Oh yes. I saw her mother's spirit guiding her. She moves like water."

I felt a small pang at that. Yeah, a spirit was helping me with that, but it wasn't Noami.

"Perhaps…she would like to be my _sisuj_?"

I looked up, not recognizing that word. "Huh?"

"Noami was a beautiful dancer." Rayer explained to me in English. "Nawrah was her teacher many years ago. She would like to know if you would like to learn to dance from her."

"Really?" I asked. "Uh, that'd be cool! And if we find my family can Neve and Luna learn too?"

"That is up to Nawrah." Rayer said and then he spoke to her again, but instead of using either language I knew, he used what sounded like the one Nawrah had used earlier with her musicians.

I scowled and folded my arms, waiting for the grownups to finish talking about their grownup stuff that _clearly_ I wasn't allowed to know. Bah. I sighed a few times, loudly, impatiently, just to get my point across.

Finally Rayer looked down and said, "Go get changed. The robe is on your bed."

I fumed at the obvious dismissal and stomped into the den. On the bed I found a thin sleeveless robe made of white cloth. I slipped out of my bearskin dress and into the robe, which, I found, was held on by nothing but a tie-around on the waist, just like a bath-robe, and had no sleeves or even any straps. Rayer walks back in and I noticed for the first time that he's already wearing one.

"What's it for?" I asked, tugging at the robe.

"Well, in about five minutes, Arlin and Carletta will call the pack together. You and I must stand with them. Then after they say a few words, we four will shift first and lead the pack out. Then they, too, will shift at any time they wish as we begin our run."

"But why are we wearing these? Will everyone?"

Rayer frowned, deciding how to say it. "No. We do not have many of them. These actually are made to just fall off but sometimes they don't. We Alphas, according to tradition, _must_ wear something before we Change and as we do…we rip out of the garment to…to symbolize that we are tearing free of our restrictions as we run under the moon."

"That actually makes sense."

"Everything we do makes sense," he argued.

"I beg to differ," I muttered, then I remembered what Rayer had gone to ask Arlin. "So, do we get to look for my family?"

"Arlin has given me permission to take you further south than the others to attempt to locate your brothers and sisters."

_And Mama, Seth, and Jacob and my vampires_, I added silently, but decided not to get into that with him.

One thing I know about Rayer is that though he feels grateful towards them for keeping us alive, he doesn't exactly like Leah, Seth, and Jacob. Especially when I use the words 'mama' and 'uncle' with their names. Arlin, too, actually. But…but not Carletta.

A howl rang out from right outside the den, but it didn't sound exactly right. Rayer jumped to his feet. "Ah! It's time. Come on."

He lead me out of our den and around to Arlin and Carletta's den. We stood in front of their door next to Carletta who cupped her hands over her mouth and howled again. I blinked in surprise. It was quite a good howl for her not being in wolf form and it was clearly loud enough because some of the pack had already gathered and more were coming. A few of them were wearing full, normal outfits. Some were draped in blankets or loose furs that didn't seem firmly held on. Some weren't wearing anything at all. I quickly averted my eyes, focusing on Carletta who let out one final howl.

She was wearing the same thing I was, but her hair hadn't been left to its own devices. It was twisted into an intricate braid style that looked pretty and was doing a good job of keeping her hair in check. When she shifted all of that would fall free.

Was I supposed to do that? Crap. I quickly gathered my hair behind my back and tried to twist it into a quick braid. When I was done, it was loose, messy, and ready to come undone.

Arlin stepped out of the den and raised his hands in welcome.

"Brothers and Sisters!" he shouted in the werewolf language.

"Brother!" The crowd called back.

"Tonight we shall run under the light of our Mother as we have done for countless moons throughout countless generations since the beginning of our people, eons ago! We will gain our strength for another month and we will survive!" He thrust his hands into the air again, like a celebrating victor.

The pack cheered and for the first time I began to feel a strange thrill in the air. It made my heart beat more quickly and my breath come faster. My skin tingled.

"We are leaving the safety of our mountains." Arlin said, more subdued now. "You all know the dangers. I wish you all swift paws and free spirits. And if you come across a Child of the Darkness…kill it in the name of Celbra! We are her Children! This is our night! We will not let them keep us cowering in the shadows tonight! We will run!"

And with that, he exploded into his wolf and the robe fell harmlessly to the ground. Carletta was a split second behind him, then Rayer, leaving me standing there awkwardly for a moment before I remembered I was supposed to do that, too.

So I did.

When I landed on my paws I felt the thrill from before only multiplied. The urge to _run_ was strong. I was panting from it.

_Run!_ Arlin lifted his head and reared up just a bit like a horse as he howled to the sky. He dropped back down then leapt into the crowd that parted for him. Carletta followed, then Rayer, and I pelted after them. I felt the hands of the pack brushing my fur as I raced by. The crowd closed up behind me. We weaved throughout the village and I felt the pack running behind me. Some were shouting, some were howling. I heard voices in my head as the pack began to shift.

We bounded up the hill then out into the trees and suddenly the Alphas broke into a full run that I had to really work to keep up with. For the first time I realized how slowly the shifters ran, even Leah. _This _was speed.

Other wolves caught up with me, but none of them overtook me. I could hear their faint whisperings in my mind. I was used to my link being closed during the full moon as my human mind faded out and the wolf one took over. But we weren't under the moon just yet and my human mind was still working. The wolves running alongside me and behind me did not begrudge my slower paws. In fact, they whispered encouragement, nudging me encouragingly.

It was definitely a night of firsts.

For the first time, I realized what my status as an Alpha—even if I wasn't one of their pack—meant. They did not overtake me to get up with the other Alphas even though I was slower. They respected me. And I realized what my status as a pup meant. It meant that I was to be protected and helped. Instead of nipping at my legs, they pressed their muzzles into my flanks and shoulders, encouraging me to do better, to run faster, but not demanding it. Telling me I had it in me. That I could do it, and that I was not to give up.

So I didn't.

We ran further south. The sky grew steadily darker. My paws became faster as traces of moonlight began to seep through and I began to absorb her strength. As I ran, my paws went faster, and my human mind slowly quieted until I was running almost entirely on a wolf's instincts.

And suddenly I wasn't so comfortable.

_Not pack. Not pack._ My mind whispered about the wolves.

And the wolves must've been feeling something similar because they began to back away from me. The pack began to veer off in all directions for their own runs. The Alpha male and his female went their own way but the lesser Alpha remained with me, heading south.

_Not pack. Alone. Alone. Find pack._

I slowed to a stop and howled for my pack. But my pack did not hear me. They were too far. _Alone._

_Not pack._ My mind whispered as the lesser Alpha approached me, his yellow eyes cautious.

I sniffed him cautiously.

_Kin. Friend. Alpha._ My mind whispered and I remembered that I could trust him.

He stamped his paws a few times and swung his head towards the south. I _wuffed_ softly and took off running again. He ran beside me, but not so he blocked the moonlight from hitting me.

Our paws kicked up the snow as we ran. As we got further south the snow melted away and our paws trampled on frozen grass. As the night wore on, I began to hear his voice again. I wasn't sure what language he was speaking in, but whatever it was, I could understand it.

_I do not like this, Alba. If you were not a pup I do not think I would have been able to keep near you. You are_ not a part of the pack_ Alba and we all could feel it. _

_I'm sorry,_ I said. _But it wasn't exactly nice for me either. _

We stopped once we crossed a river, by a large rocky area.

Rayer huffed. _Alright, I think we are far enough south. Perhaps…we should split up to cover more ground. But no howling! _He added quickly. _Only howl if you found them. It's too dangerous otherwise._

_Alright, _I agreed glumly.

_We meet back here at dawn. Good luck._ He said then veered off to the left. After a moment, I was alone, but I knew if I even tried to howl he would hear it.

So I began to search. I sniffed the air for any familiar scents, looking for anything around me that I recognized. But I was alone in the night and though the world around me wasn't completely foreign, I wasn't home. Not yet.

_Mama!_ I screamed in mind, hoping they would hear. _Jacob! Seth! Rame! Scuro! Neve! Luna! Mama! LEAH!_

No response. I howled softly, but enough that it would carry. I'd never, ever felt so alone in my life.

I kept running. I wasn't going to give up until the sun started to rise. I wanted my family. I wanted my pack. I avoided the towns, though. I wasn't going to risk either pack. But I may as well have been the only werewolf on the planet for all the luck I had. The only wolves I found were common ones who had a cow when they saw me.

The sky began to lighten and as I trudged back towards the river, tears leaked out of my eyes. I could only hope Rayer had found them and I hadn't heard his howl.

I saw him coming not long after and I leapt to my paws anxiously.

_Did you find them? _I asked.

He gave me a sympathetic look. _No, I am sorry._

I howled then, loudly, sadly. And he let me. He sat there, waiting, running his tail along my back.

_Come, little Alba. Let us go home._

I didn't even bother correcting him. _Nadja_ was not my home. Not yet, anyway.

It wasn't until many months later. After my pack found me in _Nadja_, that Rayer admitted to me that he'd lied that night.

He had found them. He'd stood on a ridge and watched a pack containing two gray wolves, two russet wolves, a sandy wolf, a white wolf, and a black wolf race by. And he'd been close enough to call to them. Close enough that his howl would've turned their heads. But he'd kept silent.

Because Arlin had ordered him to. Because my grandfather knew that I would not want to stay in _Nadja_ if I found my family and that when I found my family, the secret of the village would be exposed. But Arlin had left a few loopholes, even if unintentionally, that Rayer could've exploited. But my uncle agreed with his father.

So Rayer watched my pack race by, knowing who they were and what it meant to me, but didn't even move a muscle. And he watched me cry, watched my heart break in front of him and said not a word.

And I never even knew.

* * *

**Alba is adorable, ain't she XD **

**Review! I will try to have the next one up within this month! No more 4-month waits, I promise! **


	4. Chapter 4

**You know, I wish I had a better excuse...but I kinda...forgot this was on my flash drive. Whoopsie.**

**I will get around to finishing all the stuff I'm working on in this saga, eventually. Right now I'm more focused on my Hunger Games story. And if you've read the books/seen the movie, you should go check it out. It's called _The Color of Blood_ - keep in mind, my story is canon to the book world which is different in many ways from the movie world, so if you've only seen the movie and you see something that conflicts with your movie-knowledge, that's probably why.**

**Plus, let's face it, I'm kind of busy. This is my last semester of high school. Can you guys believe it? I started this freshman year, and now I'm a senior. Already accepted into college and everything... And I've been working on some game dubs and music videos (can be seen on the youtube channel 'WintermothStudios')  
**

**Anywho...enjoy chapter 4!**

* * *

Four months after I arrived in _Nadja_, after four full moons of feeling like a lone wolf and four failed attempts at searching for my family, I decided to join the pack.

And all because of a dream I had one night.

_Hello, little sister._ Fango greeted me in the wolf language as he emerged from the mist.

_Fango!_ I wagged my tail, bounding over to him. I brushed my muzzle against his. He wasn't kidding about the 'little sister' thing. He was growing at a steady rate as we were, but as he was a boy, he was much bigger than I was. It made me wonder what the others looked like.

He took a step back. _I see you are becoming quite the…linguist_.He said the last word in English since the wolf language had no word for that. I'd seen that happen a lot. Sometimes a wolf would break off into a different language because the one they were speaking didn't have words for what they wanted to say. And _Nadja _was so diverse that, most of the time, whatever language it was, someone nearby could translate decently.

_I am,_ I reply smugly. _I can speak: English, wolf, Inuit, and ancient Egyptian quite well, plus I know a bit of French, Russian, and Norwegian._

He barked a laugh. _Nice. Very nice, you are a swift learner. _

_Hey, hey Fango…can I ask you something?_

_Of course._

_My family. How are they? And…do you think that…maybe…you could tell them where I am so they can come and get me? They must be so worried._

Fango hesitated, his ears drooping. _Actually, Alba… This might be hard for you to hear but…but they are not worried about you. Not anymore. They…they believe you to be dead._

I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I stared at him. I wondered if I heard that right, but when his expression didn't waver, I couldn't believe it what he had said.

_Dead? You mean…they…they gave up on me?_

_They believe you perished when you fell off the cliff. Your scarf? They found it near the base of an avalanche. They believed your body was under the rubble._

I sat down, trying to comprehend it. _They did not look?_

_Carlisle reasoned that your body would be…deformed. He did not want Leah or our littermates to see such a horrible thing. Do not blame them. They grieve for you. Leah has actually asked to see you. _

_And you did not tell her I was alive, did you?_

_No. I did not._

_But why? Fango, am I not your sister? Do you not love me?_

_I do, Alba._ He said. _And that is why. I believe—and I am not the only one—that you are a part of something bigger. And for many moons there has been a civil war over you and our littermates and where you all should live. Your ending up in _Nadja_ has ended the feud. You are doing a good thing, sister. You must remain in _Nadja_. It is for the best of everyone. You must trust me. _

I trembled._ But…but Fango. I miss them so much. I want my Mama_.

He sat down beside me and I leaned into him. _I know. I know. _

_No you do not._ I growled softly_. You have our mom there with you. I have no one._

_You have my brother._ A warm voice said from behind us. I turned my head.

Noami was standing there. Identical to Fango in fur color, but with the green eyes I'd always seen on Rame, Neve, and Rayer, and the same build as her mother, Carletta.

_Hello, Mom._ I said quietly.

Noami gave me the best smile she could. _Hello. My, you are growing. In body and in mind. _

_I guess._

Noami sat down beside us and I fidgeted uncomfortably. It was no secret that I had little feelings for the werewolf who'd given birth to me. Why should I? She'd never done anything for me except bring me into the world. All motherly credit goes to Leah. And yet Noami didn't seem the least bit angry.

_Alba_. She said softly. _I know how you feel about me and about my family. But they are your family, too. Alba, what I am trying to tell you, is: do not begrudge my brother for anything. It is not his fault you feel alone. He has done nothing but care for you since the moment he laid eyes on you. In his eyes, you are his daughter. …Do you know what happened to his daughter, Whitnie? _

_No,_ I said. I've heard of her a few times, but all I knew was that she and her mother were dead.

_I was born nearly two-hundred years ago, _Noami said_. Rayer and I were twins. Rayer found his mate quite young in life. That was when the Murder was beginning. The vampires began again to kill our kind. Wolves fled the Old World on boats to the New World, where the vampires were in the middle of their own wars in the South. Word spread among these wolves that there was a safe haven in Alaska. The ones who survived the journey joined the pack. _

_Elolise and what remained of her pack found us and Rayer knew when he saw her that she was his mate, and so did she. They had a pup not long after—that was before the custom of pregnant wolves leaving. They named her Whitnie, after Elolise's grandmother who had died on the journey. Whitnie was a beautiful little pup. She had her father's eyes and her mother's sandy hair. She was a wonderful musician and she loved life. _

_Then a coven of wolf hunters found us. They killed an entire team of wolves who were hunting for food before we realized they had come. Rayer, Brinre, Whitnie, Elolise and I were amongst the two other hunting groups that were out at the time and heard our packmates' distress. We arrived in time to see the last wolf slaughtered._ She trailed off. _Listen. _

She threw her head back and howled. It was her rich voice blended with the cry of her wolf…and something else. There are no words to really describe the…beautiful song she threw to the sky. Magic was laced between every note. It was happy enough to make me want to shout and sad enough to make me want to cry.

Also, between everything, there were…words, almost. I couldn't quite grab them, like bubbles that pop when you're trying to reach them. But, I recognized what was happening. Wolves often used this technique to tell stories in _Nadja_ if they were actually present when it happened. It conveyed the message better. So I closed my eyes and allowed her story to pull me in.

_A wolf with russet fur, three sandy wolves, three white wolves, four brown wolves, a gray wolf, a gray and brown wolf, and a black wolf stared in horror at the dead wolves before them and at the pale red-eyed demons around them._

_The russet wolf lunged forward, eyes blazing yellow with hatred, and roared vengeance. The pack behind him echoed his call and charged at the vampires. BANG BANG BANG! Guns loaded with silver bullets fired. Wolves yelped. Some went down, others continued to run._

'_Whitnie! Whitnie, run!' the russet wolf, Rayer, howled. 'Tell Arlin!'_

_The smallest of the sandy wolves snarled angrily but obeyed her father and ran from the vampires in the direction of the village. _

_The lithe brown wolf with green eyes fought alongside a slender white male._

My parents.

_They work together, relieving the vampire of his weapon then tear him to pieces. They are invincible, dodging bullets and reaching frosty limbs, avenging their dead Brothers and Sisters. Their self-righteous rage flowed as powerfully as a river, fueling them and their pack-mates._

Then Noami's voice fades and another, more youthful voice replaces it. I don't recognize it but I accept what is happening and allow the new wolf's voice to draw me in.

_The slender sandy wolf, Whitnie, raced through the snowy forest, towards their village and help. But behind her she could hear a pursuer. A vampire had followed her. What should she do? If she leads him to the village other people could die. There were pups there. Little, defenseless pups. Mothers expecting pups._

_She decided she could not lead it to her home. So she veered away, intending to lead the creature back to the fighting. But as she listened, she realized the vampire was no longer pursing her, but it's footsteps continued on in the direction of…home. Of course. It could probably smell the village from there. It didn't need her to lead it there. So she pursued it, pushing herself to go faster, to catch the threat to her pack. She had to. It was her duty as an Alpha. _

_The Child of Darkness was fast, but Whitnie was faster. Her paws barely touched the ground as she raced after it. It turned its head and saw her coming, but was unable to speed up enough to outrun her. She leapt at it, claws outstretched, teeth bared. _

_The vampire whirled around and pointed its pistol at her. And fired._

_Pain. Fiery, white-hot pain. It exploded in her chest and she yelped, but the force of it was not enough to throw her completely off and she landed on it. The vampire snarled and threw her off. She yowled as she sailed through the air and hit a thick-trunked tree. She crumpled to the ground, whining in agony. Her wound throbbed and pulsed and she could feel the silver already beginning to poison her._

_The vampire glared hatred at her and she glared back, bearing her teeth. Then she threw her head back and howled as loudly as she could._

'_Arlin! Grandfather! Pack! Danger! Dark Child!' she screamed, praying someone would hear._

_BANG!_

_Her voice choked off as a bullet pierced her neck. She lay on the ground, gasping down what air she could manage through her wounded throat. She stared at the vampire with hate and it returned the look, completely unsympathetic, then it turned and continued on towards her village where she sure wolves were on high alert._

_Whitnie gasped, her flanks heaving, and rested her head on her paws. She knew she was going to die and tears leaked from her eyes. There was no way anyone would find her in time, especially with her voice broken. She could feel where the bullet had entered her chest. So close to her heart. No, she would not be in the world much longer._

_Tears continued to trickle down and her body shuddered. Pain, so much pain. The silver burned, destroying her from the inside, but not quickly enough._

'_Please, Mother. What have I done to suffer this?' she thought. _

_She opened her eyes, wanting to see the sky one more time as her body shuddered once._

_Thump_

_Thump…_

…_Thump…_

…_Thump…_

…_Thump…_

I gasped as the song ended and my eyes snapped open. _That…that was _Whitnie, _wasn't it? _I gasped in English. Noami and Fango stared at me, giving me a chance to recover, then Noami howled again.

_A horrible sensation ripped through the pack. A line of the power of the Alphas which connected wolf to wolf within the pack was snapped. They felt it. They knew what it meant. But the brown wolf who was tied to the power by birth and blood _knew_ whose power it was. Who had just been severed from the pack…one who was not linked by birth, but by her mate… And then it happened _again_…to one born into the power…_

_The brown wolf watched in horror as her russet brother howled over the pale body of his mate who had died not from the poison of silver, but at the hands of a vampire who had twisted her body like clay with the knowledge that his daughter was dead as well._

_The brown wolf trembled as her own mate nudged her. The sight of all the dead wolves alone was alien and sickening, but the pain still resonating through the pack link from two severed links was unbearable. Shamans worked to save the ones still breathing, but they could do nothing for the dead bodies, nor for the grieving survivors. Her brother was not the only one mourning…_

_And then later a Shaman leads four weremen who carry a slender sandy wolf on a stretcher up to the Alphas den. A much younger version of Rayer explodes into his wolf form at the sight of his daughter's silver-mangled body._

I jerked myself out of the story. I didn't want to see anymore. I realized I was crying. Hard. I threw my head back and howled sadly. My brother and mother gave me a minute to let out the residual emotions from the song, then I crouch there, shivering, and they drape their tails over me.

_You are not alone._ Noami said. _And neither was he. In time he came to realize that I was still there. That our mother and father were, too. That Whitnie and Elolise were watching him. He grieved, and he still does, but he was able to move on with his life. Alba, your old life is gone and it will not come again. You are different than when you arrived. You are changing. It is time you let go of the past and embraced your future. A river cannot flow backwards._

_But, Noami…I do not want to. I want Mama. I want my _family_._

_You have your family. Maybe not the half you want, but you have family. You are not alone. You have a grandmother and grandfather, who are proud of you, an uncle who treats you like his daughter and loves you as such. You have little pack-mates who look up to you and a pack ready to throw themselves in front of a bullet for you. They have so much more to offer you and you have much to offer them. It is time to move on, my daughter, and time for you to grow up. One day you will see Leah and her pack again, I swear it on Celbra. But that day is not now. You must live in the present, daughter. Your packs need you._

_What should I do? _I whispered.

_First and foremost, let go of your old pack and join your rightful one. From there, I cannot tell you what to do. You must decide on your own. You are a beautiful, brave young wolf. You are an Alpha by blood and birthright. _

Noami ducked her head so she was level with me and her eyes twinkled with mischief. _Besides. The people of Nadja are simply starved of real adventure. I am sure if you actually tried, you could liven things up._

_Maybe_, I said.

_Just do not get anyone killed. _She added sternly.

_Yes, Noami. _

She smiled again. _Good luck._ Then she leaned forward and licked the top of my head before straightening up and walking away into the mist. Fango nuzzled me once then pranced after her, flicking his tail in farewell.

I sighed and curled up on the ground, waiting to be transported away from the forest.

But before I was sent away, a pale, sandy she-wolf bounded out of the mist, her all-too-familiar green eyes twinkling.

_Little cousin, I will tell you what you need to do and in exchange you will do something for me. To become one of the pack, first and foremost, you must let your old one go._

_But…but _how_?_

_Say goodbye. _She said. _That is all I can tell you—you'll have to come up with the will yourself. And to merge into your mother's pack, you must accept the pack as yours. You have a right to be in that pack that few others have. You must claim that right. You _can_ do it, I know you can. _

_I will try._

_Now, in exchange for this information, you have to do one simple thing for me. It is only fair. Tell my father the words 'cherry blossom' in English._

_What does it mean?_

_Never you mind._

I sighed. _Alright. I will. And Whitnie? _

_Yes?_

_I'm sorry you died to vampires. But…but not all of them are horrible._

Whitnie shook her head. _Cherry blossom, little cousin._

I sighed and closed my eyes.

It seemed like only seconds later when I realized I was no longer in my wolf body. That I was lying in a bed made of wood and wool, under a blanket of polar bear fur, on a pillow stuffed with goose feathers. I opened my eyes and sat up, looking over at the bed on the opposite side of the hut.

I could tell from his steady breathing that Rayer was still fast asleep. There was no way to properly gauge the time since we were still living in a constant day, but from the way the camp was eerily quiet, I figured it was nighttime. Or at least a time of day when the pack was asleep—it wouldn't work any other way because with our heightened hearing, if people were active 24/7, no one would get any sleep.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, rubbing my face with my hand for a moment, and took another deep breath. I knew what I had to do now. Even if I didn't really want to. So, sitting there in my bed, I pictured the faces of my pack and family, one by one. Alpha Jacob. Beta Leah. Seth. Rame. Scuro. Neve. Luna. Quil. Embry. And, by extension: Renesmee and Sash, who weren't in the link, but were a part of the link, but were members of the pack just the same, and even Kayla and Claire, the imprints of Quil and Embry.

I allowed the sense of _pack_ to fill me as I flipped through the album of their faces and everything about them. I would later learn that as I did that, my brothers and sisters sensed me in their minds, so much that it woke them up, and they felt it when I started to cry from the amount of love I felt for all of them and the pain I knew I would feel at letting them go.

And when I whispered _Goodbye_, they heard it, and felt my presence fade.

For the first time in my life, I was packless. And then I knew the true meaning of loneliness. The _sense_ of the pack I'd had before in the back of my mind had completely vanished without a trace. It was completely and utterly horrifying. I felt alone, weak, vulnerable, and completely and utterly exposed. Like something could come barreling through the door right now and attack me and no one would even realize.

Frantically, I scrambled for my ties to the old pack, only to find them completely gone. The images and feelings I had were not enough. I was too far away.

There was nothing else I could do.

So I looked at Rayer. My uncle, my mother's brother. Whitnie's father, Elolise's mate. I thought of Arlin and Carletta, the Alphas, my grandparents. I thought of Tilo, Carletta's brother, who had been completely shocked and delighted to meet me for real. I thought of Nawrah, the beautiful dancer who was teaching me to dance and speak the language of her origins, just she taught my mother. Her brothers who played music for her: Majid, Makin, and Malik. Of Seriya who is teaching me other languages and wolf lore. Of Seboa, the oldest Shaman who smiles at me and answers my questions. Of Mikty, a Beta. Of the beautiful Maisha who had lived with humans once. Of Wista and Grace the pup-mothers and their seven adorable puppies who adored me. Of the countless other wolves I'd seen but did not know.

I let their faces fill my mind, their voices. The sounds of the village when it was busy, the sounds of the countless songs I'd heard. I thought of my lessons. The kindness and encouragement. The playfulness of the pups.

And I decided it was all _mine_.

The effect was instantaneous.

The loneliness was gone and I felt an overwhelming sense of _pack_. It was as if the entire world had shifted around me in that instant. Suddenly _Nadja _felt like _home_. The elusive alienated feeling I'd always had evaporated. And I felt _power_. The power of my Alpha blood suddenly flowing in my veins, appearing in my mind like a golden light that expanded suddenly, out over the pack, attaching to each and every wolf in its own way.

I gasped at the feeling.

Rayer did too, sitting bolt upright in his bed. He wasn't the only one. I heard the whole pack wake up almost simultaneously gasping at the strong new presence in the pack, and the new power on them. This, I realized, was how they'd known Noami had died. They would've felt the absence of an Alpha like the way the felt the appearance of another.

Rayer turned and saw me sitting up in my bed, not calm, but clearly not feeling what he was.

"Alba," he croaked in wolf. "What did you _do_?"

"I joined the pack," I said in the same language, still not completely believing I'd done it.

Rayer collected himself quickly and climbed out of his bed. "I will go get my father. …It appears as if you have woken the entire village. I advise you not to leave the hut until Arlin can sort this and calm the people. …That has never happened before."

"Rayer."

"Hmm?" he said, not looking at me.

"Cherry blossom," I said in English.

Rayer spun around on the spot, staring at me in complete disbelief. "_Lcyh?_"

"Cherry blossom," I repeated, not sure what it meant to him, exactly, but I knew he knew who'd told it to me.

Tears filled his eyes and without another word, he left the den.

And I fell back against the bed, letting out a big breath of air, and closed my eyes, feeling the power of my new pack. I could sense them in a way I could never sense my old pack. Was it my Alpha power?


End file.
